Revelation Perth had its beginnings in 1997 in the basement back room of the Greenwich Club, a well regarded Perth jazz venue. The festival was started up to showcase ideas “at point” in contemporary independent film and to find a place for them in the cinema environment of the time. Today, the 2015 festival which runs through July 12 includes over 120 international films presented at cinemas, galleries, cafes and bars across Perth. Revelation also includes an academic component (introduced in 2012), industry discussion sessions, live performances, masterclasses, visual art exhibitions and other hybrid activity generated by the event or independent curators.

Revelation seeks out independently curated or initiated programs and ideas and actively offers professional assistance for development and mentoring opportunities. It sees over 500 films submitted for selection from local and international filmmakers and features world and Australian premiere films of all genres. Revelation Perth Festival places great emphasis on experimental and documentary films. In 2014 Revelation introduced the monthly Australian Revelations program set-up to explore the best in new and archival Australian Cinema.

Over its 18 years, Revelation continues to actively advocate for Australian screen culture practice in what is thought to be a conservative viewing environment. It maintains an ethical partnership agenda, even in a resource and mining based economy, has clear sights, and has a strong social justice program at its core. A founding sponsor, REVelation Magazine, is regarded as a purveyor of counter and youth culture in the region, earning a place in the country with its readership as one of the country’s more progressive publications.

The Galway Film Fleadh is a six day international film event held every July that welcomes submitting filmmaking from around the world. Now in its 26th year, the enduring mission of the Galway Film Fleadh remains to bring together audiences and filmmakers to share the cinematic experience. The Fleadh’s audience is usually drawn from the general cinema going public, film buffs, student filmmakers, industry professionals and invited guests. This year’s festival concludes July 12. In addition to its central program of the best in Irish and world cinema the Fleadh also presents: Masterclasses, Public Interviews, Debates, Workshops, Seminars alongside other industry events which take place as part of the Galway Film Fair. Honored guests from the past have included: Isabelle Huppert, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Ventura Pons, Martin Sheen, Amanda Plummer, David Mackenzie, Gill Dennis, Stephen Daldry, Sir Ronald Harwood, Lee Unkrich, Darla K Anderson, Brendan Gleeson, Anjelica Huston, Michael Fassbender, Christopher Hampton, Ted Hope, Redmond Morris, Jon Jost, Peter O’Toole, Jessica Lange, Bill Pullman, Alex Gibney, Jeremy Irons, Volker Schloendorff, and so many others.

Originally getting its start in 1979 as the Golden State Comic Book Convention, Comic-Con has since evolved into a multigenre entertainment and comic convention taking place annually. Once only exclusively showcasing comic books and science fiction/fantasy related film and television arts, the convention now includes a larger range of pop culture and entertainment elements across most all genres. This year, Comic-Con International’s Preview Night will be held July 8. The remaining Comic-Con schedule will commence from July 9-12.

On Preview Night, Antero Garcia, Peter Carlson, Susan Kirtley, and Jenn Anya Prosser lead a hands-on workshop for K-12 educators titled, “Creating Superheroes in the Classroom: An Interactive Workshop for Teachers.” During this workshop panelists will explore how comics support student achievement. Afterwards, Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television continue their annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of four anticipated series of the 2015-16 television season: Supergirl, Blindspot, Containment and Lucifer. Other major event areas in the Comic-Con agenda are: anime, art show, autograph booth, film festival, children’s film festival, gaming area and library, Masquerade costume competition and exhibition hall, Portfolio Review sessions with major companies, including comic publishers, movie and TV studios, video game companies, and more.

Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo (APE), both held in San Francisco. Comic-Con has also awarded its annual Inkpot Award on guests and persons of interest in the Popular Arts industries, as well as on members of Comic-Con’s Board of Directors and the Convention Committee. It is also the home of the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award (on the evening of July 10, 2015). Comic-Con is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events.

Music Industry Day offers musicians, audio pros and those who simply love music access to Summer NAMM, the mid-year gathering happening in Nashville, July 9-11, and focused on NAMM’s Top 100 Dealers. Network with industry leaders, meet other musicians, attend workshops and demo the music gear from more than 1,000 music product brands. Live music happens throughout the day with performances by Dustin Lynch, Tony Lucca and Louisa Wendorff, to name a few. Also included in the program of Summer NAMM’s final day is admission to the 32nd Annual American Eagle Awards. The National Association of Music Merchants Show is a trade-only event – not open to the general public – and held bi-annually in Anaheim in January and July in Nashville.

There are several special Music Industry Day sessions that form some of the program of dedicated activities for Music Industry Day: The Future of Audio: Harnessing the Power of MI and New Technology, Leadership in Music Symposium Songwriter Fair Trade Panel, 10 Tips for Killer Guitar Tone, 2020 Vision: The Future of Media Technology, Recreational Music Making Forum, One-on-One: An Interview With Hit Songwriter Tom Shapiro, A3E Deep Dive: Windows 10 for Musicians and Audio Developers, 2020 Vision: The Future of Live Performance, The Pedal Summit, Mobile and Music Technology for Production + Performance, 12 PR Tips for Musicians, Music Businesses and Everyone Else, 2020 Vision: The Future of Guitar Technology, Insider’s World of Hit Songwriting, A3E Deep Dive: MI and the Tech Giants, Social Media Insider Tips, 2020 Vision: The Future of Songwriting Tools and Applications.

This year Summer NAMM features the 32nd Annual American Eagle Awards, presented by the National Music Council on Music Industry Day, July 11, in the Davidson Ballroom. The awards event honors Charley Pride, Kris Kristofferson, Jim Lauderdale, Jim Halsey and Sherman Halsey, and features a special recognition of Music Makes Us, which strives to see that all kids in Nashville have access to music. And to commemorate Les Paul’s past 100th birthday on June 9, 2015, the Les Paul Foundation has created a mobile exhibit which will be stationed at the back of Hall B during Summer NAMM 2015. Throughout the exhibition space, visitors will view content specific interactive experiences that focus upon music and technology aspects of the Les Paul’s legacy. The Les Paul 100th Birthday Celebration will also be featured in NAMM’s opening session at TEC Tracks, Summer NAMM’s new pro audio education program.

The Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal has varied programming that places an emphasis on the “imaginative cinema” of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Fantasia’s programming, continuing into early August from a mid-July start, is broken down into several activity areas. Four days will contain the Frontières pitch session, a series of conferences on the topics of packaging, financing, production and post-production of independent genre films, various meeting sessions and networking cocktails, worked into the regular Fantasia schedule of public screenings and parties. Two new activities have been added to the event: the Meet the Post-Production Companies networking event and a Works-in-Progress presentations session. More details on this event available online.

The Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous begins during the second weekend of the Fantasia International Film Festival. The Rendez-Vous is an essential area for film sales and industry networking opportunities for the international genre film industry. The Industry Rendez-Vous features the Frontières International Co-Production Market, an international co-production market connecting North America with Europe and Australasia in an environment specifically focused on genre film production and financing. Frontières is a collaborative initiative between Fantasia, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, and Vision-in-Motion. The Rendez-Vous also hosts international buyers and sales agents looking to acquire films from Fantasia’s official line-up.

In addition to the co-production market, the Industry Rendez-Vous have been hosting a Film Market, to support the sales efforts for the features that are part of Fantasia International Film Festival’s programming. Sales agents and producers are provided with a special opportunity to meet with prospective buyers. An on-site and online (via Cinando) video screening room is offered for their convenience, as well as an available rights list.

Skip City International D-Cinema Festival is an international competitive film festival with a focus on films shot and edited just for digital. Since its beginning in 2004, the Kawaguchi based festival has been held annually seeking innovative submissions from all over the world exploring new realms of digital expression. The festival aim is to discover the next generation of filmmakers and support the development of new kinds of audio-visual creativity. The Opening Gala will be the world premiere of “Children of Iron,” Director, Koki Fukuyama

Running from July 18-26, Skip City features three competition categories: Feature Length Competition, which accepts submissions from all over the world, Short Length Competition and Animation Competition, which accepts domestic submissions only. Starting in 2009, the Skip City Award has been awarded to Japanese films to support the up-and-coming Japanese filmmakers and their activities at Skip City. The Short Length Competition and Animation competition have been limited to works by Japanese filmmakers in order to provide support for the region’s emerging talent.

A Cinema Kabuki double feature set for July 23 is part of a double bill with Ninin Fuji Musume featuring a performance by Tamasaburo and Shichinosuke, also Nihon Furisode Hajime featuring an action sequence performed by Tamasaburo and Kankuro. In addition to the performances behind the scene footages will be displayed. Short films from the competition program will be screened at the Satellite screenings area which will be held in two additional locations in Saitama over two days at Kounosu Cinema and Sai-no-kuni Saitama Art Theater.

The Animation Competition is a new category launched in 2014 to display a wide range of animation works that include a stop-motion animation to an art animation piece combining music and visuals, a horror story and other content. The Competition is in addition to a July 24 Animation Screening that features Crayon Shin Chan: Bravo! Samurai Battle, Director, Keiichi Hara, and Stand By Me Doraemon, Director Ryuichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki.

For Skip City screened Feature Length, Short Length and Animation Competitions, the jury consists of film industry professionals in and out of Japan. After the pre-selection process, the finalists are screened to be judged by the jury during the festival and the awards are given at the closing ceremony. All the finalists are screened with 4K digital cinema projectors at the state of the art theaters during the festival. The audience members have opportunities to interact with filmmakers from all over the world as well as the jurors and other film industry professionals.

Established in 1952, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is one of the oldest film festivals in the world and the most significant screen event in Australia. An iconic Melbourne event, the festival takes place annually in the heart of the city, presenting an acclaimed screening program alongside industry and celebratory events. From July 30 through August 16 MIFF showcases current cinema from around the world as well as retrospectives, tributes and discussion programs. From its beginnings MIFF has also been committed to local film and it serves as a primary showcase platform of new Australian cinema as well as being a vocal champion of emerging and established local filmmaking talent. The festival also hosts many celebratory world premieres of local films. A professional series, MIFF Accelerator, provides four days of workshops, screenings, seminars and networking events on the business and creative aspects of the film industry by local and international film professionals for 15-20 short film directors seeking to make the transition to feature filmmaking. MIFF is an Academy® accredited festival. The winners of the following awards are eligible to enter the Oscars® competition: Grand Prix, Best Fiction, Best Animation and Best Experimental.

The Opening Night Gala and Red Carpet features Australian premiere of Force of Destiny, directed by Paul Cox, filmed in Melbourne and Mumbai. After the screening, guests are invited to cocktail sip and mingle with the cast and crew at Hamer Hall, where the festivities will continue, aided by drinks, canapés and great music. MIFF2015 is programmed to screen 26 features direct from Cannes, including award winners The Lobster (Jury Prize) and The Assassin (Best Director, for Hou Hsiao-hsien) in addition to well regarded entries, Love and Arabian Nights. MIFF Members and media enjoy an exclusive engagement on July 7 and thereafter tickets opening for sale to the general public on Friday 10 July. The features selection for MIFF2015 showcases international festival award winners, new films from old favourites and debut features from first-time directors, as well as star vehicles. The program covers comedy, future LGBTIQ classics, romance, drama, literary adaptations as well as our previously announced Next Gen films, which are accessible to audiences of all ages.

Special events are in no short supply for this Melbourne 2015 festival. Yolngu dancer, musician and performer David Gulpilil, one of Australia’s acclaimed actors, will be on hand for a celebratory retrospective program with the 2015 Melbourne International Film Festival presenting a special program of Gulpilil’s films. Many of Gulpilil’s most iconic movies, as well as some of his less well-known, little-seen ones will be shown and the festival will the actor himself for a special Talking Pictures event — David Gulpilil in conversation with Margaret Pomeranz — on August 1 in the Festival Lounge.

For the duration of MIFF2015, a program of 10 specially created 35mm short films, made by noted experimental filmmakers and audiovisual artists and tagged Vertical Cinema, attempt to demonstrate a revision of traditional cinema format: of horizontal screen.display. Films are a mix of abstract cinema, structural experiments, found-footage remixes, chemical film explorations and live laser action, all created especially for this program to be projected onto a 10-metre high, vertically hung, CinemaScope screen. Also, in the festival’s special events lineup, Filmmaker Maya Newell and a panel of special guests reflect upon personal experiences and research to guide a discussion of what family means to young people.

Lollapalooza takes place every summer in historic Grant Park, Chicago, situated between the Chicago skyline and the shores of Lake Michigan, featuring alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups and various visual artists. Lollapalooza’s Green Street offers a variety of vendors featuring art, craft items, and apparel that is all environmentally responsible.

Held on a single weekend from July 31, a listing of headliners for the 2015 Lollapalooza includes: Zebra Katz, Jangle Kroll, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Toro Y Moi, G-Eazy, Metallica, Atarah Valentine, ASAP Rocky, DJ Mustard, MisterWives, Bassnectar, Kid Cudi, Lord Huron, The Lonely Biscuits, alt-J, Paul McCartney. In addition to the daytime performance schedule there is also the evening after-show performances where venues like Metro, House of Blues and Aragon will host the Lollapalooza after-parties through the weekend along with chances to win free tickets to the performances.

The Kidzapalooza segment of the festival offers parents and kids the opportunity to see family-friendly music on its own stage and various activities including music creation sessions, arts and crafts and more all located in a specially designated area of Grant Park. Kidzapalooza starts at 11 am and closes at 5 pm during each day of the Fest.

Lollapalooza was conceived and created in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for his band, ran annually until 1997 and was revived in 2003. From its inception through 1997 and its revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. In 2004, the festival organizers decided to expand the dates to two days per city, but sagging ticket sales forced the 2004 tour to be canceled. In 2005, Farrell and the William Morris Agency partnered with Austin, Texas–based company Capital Sports Entertainment (now C3 Presents) and revamped the format into the weekend destination festival in Grant Park.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the “Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events” page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/index.php/news-updates/monthly-event-calendar. If you like this report and other content found on The Actor’s Checklist,please consider liking the Facebook page at this link. This month’s photo placement displays upcoming events from Comic-Con 2015, Fantasia Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Lollapalooza 2015. If the photos do not appear in this post please visit the blog page to view it. Looking ahead into the next month, heading into the slower summer period, be aware that: Texas Association of Broadcasters 62nd Annual Convention & Trade Show, The Game Con 2015 is in Galveston, #ITK Hollywood Summit: TV and Digital Media will be in Beverly Hills, Locarno International Film Festival is in Locarno, Hollyshorts Film Festival opens in Hollywood, the Sarajevo Film Festival is back in Sarajevo, California Audio Show sets up a three day event in Millbrae outside San Francisco.